11 - Port Douglas

Before heading to the rainforest, we had to make a little detour to Tully.

Evan and Hank (2 English guys I met here in Australia) are waiting there to start their work.

And it's always better to wait with more people, or rather, it's more enjoyable to drink with more people, and that's exactly what we wanted to do.

Since the two of them are traveling by public transportation and are not really able to explore the area, we squeezed ourselves into the Pajero with 5 people and headed towards the interior of the country to splash around in the Alligators Nest and see some waterfalls.

In the evening, we went to the beer garden next to the working hostel.

Or what is understood here as a beer garden.. - a small pub with a covered asphalt area in the backyard.

But it was a lot of fun!

Afterwards, Felix, Simon, and I had to pack our things and find the next campsite because the prices at the hostel in Tully were not to our liking.

The next morning, we went back to Cairns to prepare everything for our road trip to the north.

I took the opportunity and bought a small fishing rod!

The first stop was the "Wooroonooran National Park", which boasted the "Golden Hole" and especially the Josephine Falls.

(Including a small natural water slide! - What fun!)

Then we spontaneously passed Port Douglas and went straight to Cape Tribulation, which is located right on the beach but in the middle of the rainforest.

But the drive there was the real adventure.

The narrow road winds up and down through the forest and offers an incredible view of the ocean or simply over the vast expanses.

The first night at the campsite quickly made us realize why it's called the "rain"forest - it was pouring down.

In addition, there were animal and forest sounds, so it was going to be a short first night.

But you can make the best of it - I grabbed my fishing rod and went to the nearest river mouth.

For dinner, I had barramundi in coconut milk - caught it myself, of course!

The next day, we went out again, this time to a slightly larger river nearby, which, according to the campsite owner, offers lots of fish and crocodiles.

The result of the second fishing trip: 0 fish, 0 bites, lost 7 lures.. - the mood was completely down again with the return of the rain.

What else can you do but drink 3 liters of beer during happy hour and then stumble into the tent hungry?

The next morning, we packed everything into plastic bags and stored it on the roof, we had hardly anything left that wasn't completely soaked.

On the way back, we went to Mossman and then to Port Douglas.

However, it turned out to be "Labor Day" and our stomachs were in danger of staying empty for a second day until we finally found an open kebab shop!

With our bellies full, we washed our clothes and hung everything out to dry and air out.

Because in Port Douglas, besides campsites, there are also many, let's say, nice hotels that shape the streetscape, there is also a section of the beach here that is enclosed with nets, where you can swim without the danger of jellyfish.

In the evening, we went into the city center and first spent some dollars at the frog races, then went to the Irish pub and from there to wherever there was no "Closed" sign, before we finally found our way back to the campsite the next morning.

A little anecdote - after 5 hours, I walked the route again, it turned out that my wallet was still in the pub where we were kicked out shortly after three o'clock.. - what can I say, it could have happened to anyone!

We will probably spend a few more nights here (or nearby) before heading back to Mission Beach to settle in before going to the prawn farm.